Khushi Ramteke's opinion on capital punishment

     For centuries, the use of the death penalty has been a popular practice used by a number of countries across the globe. Unfortunately, The Supreme Court has deemed it constitutional under the protection of the 8th Amendment, against cruel and unusual punishment. Although this is true, capital punishment has been subject to intense debate throughout the world, with a variety of perspectives and viewpoints as to why it shouldn’t be administered. The true constitutionality of the death penalty is an ongoing international controversy that involves a multitude of strengths and weaknesses embraced not only by the general public but by political platforms. Several supreme court cases shed light upon particular information that question the morality of this punishment. Applying the content of its captivating history, individuals have been able to deduce excellent points to uphold this argument. Capital Punishment remains a relevant and controversial issue in America today and should be seen as unconstitutional due to its uncivilized context, applied in a prejudiced and unfair manner. 

Unequivocally, the notion of capital punishment is one that carries an abundance of opinions, being such an elaborate concept. It is a debate that has been argued for centuries, with passionate reasoning between both sides. Individuals supporting the death penalty often argue that it can grant a deterrent against brutal and heinous crimes. Notwithstanding, for a significant period of time, there has been no evident correlation amongst the death penalty and crime rates. Additionally, it is remarked that capital punishment provides society with a fitting consequence for cruel behavior. On the other hand, some believe that the penalty itself is cruel and denies human rights, going against the 8th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. According to a Gallup poll, in 2014, 60% of individuals feel a life sentence is a more effective punishment, up from 45% (Jones).  Pro-death penalty claim that it’s beneficial to the prison by maintaining the population and creating room for people not convicted of a capital crime. A popular claim expressed by the opposing side is that being put on death row can execute an individual who is potentially innocent. According to a study by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 4% of individuals that are waiting to be executed are most likely innocent (Editor in Chief). This has raised awareness regarding how flawed the system truly is, especially how it’s implemented in such an unfair way. Capital punishment is known to be predominantly dependent on the race of the victim, specifically, African Americans. While 86% of white victims were murdered by whites, roughly 94% of African American victims were killed by blacks. In addition, more than half of the executed prisoners till 1996, were black. Given this information, one can conclude that race is a definite factor for those facing a death sentence. It is appalling that such an irreversible action is conducted off of a system that lacks fundamental equality (“The Case against the Death Penalty”).

With such controversy, political leaders have become more inclined to speak out and share their personal opinions on capital punishment. One of these being, former democratic presidential candidate and current senator, Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders has been a reputable advocate for abolishing the death penalty, even vowing for it, if elected president. Sanders believes the government should not participate in murder itself as a way of reformed justice. Moreover, he acknowledges that often innocent individuals and minorities are executed, claiming the death penalty as moral savagery, tainted with racial prejudice (Brody). Another well-known figure with publicized views is former U.S. President Donald J. Trump. During his term, Trump fully endorsed the death penalty and encouraged it by using his power to appoint the justices in the U.S. Supreme Court.  Additionally, he called for the state of New York to reinstate its death penalty following the conviction of five teenagers involved in an assault case. Despite capital punishment existing as a barbaric measure unworthy of a proper society and denies civil liberties, it continues to be a course of action that Donald J. Trump entirely subsidizes (Wolf). Mentalities toward capital punishment have changed incredibly over the years. In the past five years, most Democrats preferred life detainment to capital punishment, although now almost eight out of 10 do (Jones).

The death penalty, or otherwise known as Capital Punishment, is significantly argued in the United States of America to date but holds proof to be unconstitutional. From widely known political figure platforms to supreme court cases gathered evidence, the violation of the 8th Amendment is presented evidently. The strikingly controversial history has emphasized the unconstitutionality further. The entire system is truly a broken process and conflicts with the fundamental values of our popularity-based framework. It will be engaging to observe the changes that may transpire with the recently elected President of the United States, Joe Biden. All in all, Capital punishment inherently abuses the established Eighth Amendment against cruel and unusual punishment and consists of horrendous denial toward civil liberties. 

deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/botched-executions

https://www.aclu.org/other/case-against-death-penalty

https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-02-05/hillary-clinton-and-bernie-sanders-split-on-the-death-penalty-debate

www.cnn.com/2019/07/27/politics/death-penalty-trump-democrats

https://connectusfund.org/16-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-the-death-penalty-and-capital-punishment